1st flight from Dubai with 189 expats arrives today

Malappuram: The

first flight from Dubai

, ferrying

stranded expatriates

, will arrive at

Karipur airport

with 189 passengers at 10.30pm on Thursday. District administration said the passengers on Air India Express (AIE) flight are residents of Malappuram (82), Kozhikode (70), Wayanad (15), Palakkad (8), Kannur (6), Kasaragod (4), Alappuzha (2), Kottayam (1) and Thiruvananthapuram (1).

Earlier authorities were expecting two flights, with the other one scheduled to arrive from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Later the service of that flight was rescheduled.

Malappuram collector Jafar Malik

convened a meeting of all department officials at Karipur airport on Wednesday evening to review the preparations to receive the first batch of passengers. Administration officials also held discussion with

airport director K Sreenivasa Rao

.

Malik said elaborate arrangements were made at the airport to ensure the safety of passengers.

All passengers will be screened and those with symptoms of the disease will be shifted to the isolation wards in government medical colleges at Manjeri or Kozhikode. The rest will be shifted to Covid Care Centres arranged across the district in KSRTC buses. Asymptomatic pregnant women, children (aged below 10), those with various age-related illness, the disabled would be allowed for home quarantine, said sources.

District police chief U Abdul Kareem

and airport officials, officials of CISF, customs, revenue departments, MVD attended the review meeting. tnn